In this episode, the founder of Black Diamondz Property Concierge and reality realtor star on Luxe Listings Sydney opens up on her fast-paced and exciting lifestyle. She certainly sells luxury, and while she lives what she sells today, it wasn’t always the case. She shares her experiences growing up in southwestern China, the university degree she holds that you may not expect, and the business she used to run that you likely remember well— if you have a ‘Laser’ sharp memory!

Timestamps:
00:42 | Where It All Started
04:17 | He Just Smiled and Gave Me a Vegemite Sandwich
12:27 | Stepping Back to the ‘60s
15:13 | Taking the Opportunity
17:43 | The Floppy Disc Days
20:45 | Money= Properties
24:46 | Ready For Her Close-Up
27:05 | ‘What Can You Do?’ ‘Anything.’

Resources and Links:

[00:14:53] And they said, 'Oh, you should come!' I said, 'Me? Where?' They said, 'Australia', and I said, 'Where's that?' I went to Europe and Germany, I couldn't even speak English. They said, 'You know what? I'll give you a discount fee to Asian [people] and you can come study.' Everybody loves a bargain, right? Here we come. 

This is Property Investory where we talk to successful property investors to find out more about their stories, mindset and strategies.

 

I’m Tyrone Shum and in this episode we’re speaking with Monika Tu, founder and director of Black Diamondz Property Concierge and reality TV star on Luxe Listings Sydney. Despite her humble beginnings and many stops and starts along the way, she’s overcome the odds time and time again, leading her to run a company that now turns over $300 million a year.

Tyrone Shum:   

Real estate reality shows have been steadily gaining popularity over recent years, and Luxe Listings Sydney is one of the newest— and most popular— kids on the block. Monika Tu entered the show in its second season, thanks to her success with high-end property agency Black Diamondz Property Concierge. However, her success didn’t come overnight.

Monika Tu:   

[00:00:42] I came to Australia 34 years ago, at the age of six. So if you do the math, you know how old I am. It is an incredible journey. [I came] to this country from China without any knowledge of this country or any language skills, and started really from scratch, right? 

 

[00:01:04] As a student, [I started learning] English and again, because of the hard work— and we can talk about that a bit later— and then start[ed] a business in IT. So working, of course, from like a practice marker, washing the dishes, and etc, etc. And to start the IT company, and if you read all the media's talking about, I used to work in other papers market have a bum bag, right, just really silly computer products. 

 

[00:01:08] In 2007 I retired from that business and had a break. And [in] 2009 and started thinking about really... so at the age of 45 [I started thinking], 'Should I retire? Should I start something new?' 

 

[00:01:52] Then it comes to my mind. And I started Black Diamondz, the real estate [company], I called it Black Diamondz Property Concierge. And it's just been phenomenal. And yeah, so it's a great journey. It's only about... I think shortly about 12 years in the market, and highly successful for your audience. Our turnover yearly is about from $200 million to $300 million a year. So it's a long journey. But again, you know, it's property. 

Tyrone Shum:   

Tu certainly keeps herself busy, working eight to 12 hour days regularly. Luckily for her and her clients, she sees it more as living her dream than as the hard work it really is.

Monika Tu:   

[00:03:07] I don't think it's working, right? It's just I love what I do because of course you just smell the success. You're surrounded with all the incredible properties and the people, so it excites me every day.

  

[00:03:20] I get up [at] normally seven o'clock in the morning. And a lot of real estate agents [get up at] five o'clock, oh my God, no way, right? So seven o'clock in the morning. I have to make sure I have a good sleep, and beauty sleep, right, so I look great. 

 

[00:03:34] So seven o'clock in the morning I’ve got my training with a personal trainer four times a week, just to keep me fit. And training [takes] about 45 minutes and then [I] start [my day]. 

  

[00:03:44] [The] first thing I do is I look at my social media [and] my emails. I'm even among five social social sites: Instagram, Facebook, Chinese we have a WeChat or we'll have the Red Book. Oh my God, five of them, I have to check every single one is working or is a messages and have to reply of course to emails. And then I start my personal training journey and after that a quick breakfast, Vegemite and avocado on toast. So true Aussie.

Tyrone Shum:   

[00:04:17] You're a true Aussie. You're an Asian eating Vegemite sandwich.

Monika Tu:   

[00:04:27] 34 years in Australia. I was telling myself, 'So what is this Vegemite?' So I think if I want to become a true Aussie, I have to love Vegemite. Now, [I've fallen] in love with Vegemite. If I travel back to China or overseas, I have to have a tube of Vegemite! [People will ask], 'What the heck is that?' I say, 'You know what? I'm Aussie. And it gives me a lot of vitamins and energies'. 

  

[00:04:55] My day [with] clients is really hectic. Real estate is really time consuming [and] is really demanding. So I have real estate, of course, I do a lot of social activities we're going to talk about a bit later. And I do a lot of charity [work]. So from probably nine o'clock in the mornings I have my team meetings until about 2:30 to 3:30. 

[00:05:18] [At] 3:30 I will shut what I normally do in real estate and I start doing interviews, like, for example with your guys, and so all my social plannings. Prepare for my dinners, parties, you know, this kind of stuff. Leisure, I eat out, like, seven days a week. That's the way I communicate with people.

  

[00:05:40] It's a long day. And I finish up, 6:30 is normally my dinner. So if I have an opportunity to meet my clients, vendors, and buyers, I would do that. And I go to bed at about 11:30 [or] 12:00, sometimes 12:30 because of [the] time difference as I talk to people from overseas. So I make sure every email [and] every WeChat message is returned. And then I sleep [at] about 11:30 [or] 12:00. It's just crazy. But I love it, I love it, so much energy.

Tyrone Shum:   

Despite retiring at 45 years of age, Tu is still going strong over a decade later, strengthening both her physical and work-related muscles each and every day.

Monika Tu:   

[00:06:42] I think when you retire at 45 is really depending on what other things you want to do. So I [will] just give you an example. Before my other business in IT, I worked seven days a week. On a weekday, Monday to Friday, [I was] working in the company and [on] the weekends I would do the markets. I remember [being] physically and mentally exhausted. But you're young, you know, you're young, you still have good legs. I have bad knees, right? I worked so hard. 

  

[00:07:10] But again, I focused on the permanent people I had to look after, to take care of. My family, my staff, and my staff's family. So it's a full commitment. 

  

[00:07:21] But after 45, 'Okay, I'm gonna just go back to the market, do [it] seven days a week'. I probably cannot do that anymore. But what I did is I still work seven days a week, but I choose some career. For example, I go for dinners. It's always about dinner, right? I eat anyway. So what about if I meet the people [for dinner]? And I learn so much from them. 

  

[00:07:44] Just to let you know, if you Google me, Monika Tu at Domain real estate, whatever, my average selling price is $14 million. So the people have the money, let's say around about $10 million, they're very successful people. Just sitting down with them. It's not about the business, just learn something from them. 

  

[00:08:03] I think every successful [person] [has] a story behind them. So you learn so much from them. Do you think it's work? Not meeting them, having dealt with them is [a waste] of time. So you go home, have another Vegemite, you cannot do that, right? So you cook. 

 

[00:08:18] And so for me, I just don't go out there meeting them, learning from them. So that's a different way of working. I still work seven days a week. On Saturday and Sundays I do private views. But again, I don't see it as work. I see it as my passion, right? I want to get the job done. I just open people's beautiful home, prepare them for the next tour to come in. 

 

[00:08:38] If people can buy that kind of property, obviously, [it] doesn't matter the vendors or buyers, they're very, very exciting people. So that's the attitude towards my profession. So that makes me feel really pumped up every single day. Right? It sounds crazy but I think it works.

Tyrone Shum:   

Meeting new people and learning their stories is part and parcel of the job, which she revels in and values highly.

Monika Tu:   

[00:09:36] I'm just so different from other talents, but they're amazing. For me it's always about storytelling. So it's always about really learn[ing], what's the design ideas? Why [did] you build this house? 

  

[00:09:50] All the real estate is very transactional. For me it's not just a transaction. Of course we'll have to get it sold. But we make friends. And it's friends for life. It doesn't matter if you're buyers or vendors. Just by being surrounded by them, I think it's a blessing for me. 

 

[00:10:06] So now, probably 80 [or] 90% of my listings are coming from repeat customers. So they bought from me, they sell through me. Or they never bought from me, but they saw me [and] how I worked with them, even though they haven't bought anything. When they think it they say, 'Monika, you're the right person'. My brand is not suitable for everybody. But a lot of people really understand where I come from. And they will work with me. So it's just so exciting.

  

[00:11:01] You think about our name, Black Diamondz Property Concierge. You [wonder'], 'What do you mean? Are you like, hurry people's backs? And, you know, also, yeah, we do depends how much is the property is worth. I'm kidding!

 

[00:11:14] A concierge is service orientated, it's really all about service. But some services are very costly. You need to spend time, you have to have the right team around you. But after 12 years in the industry, I think it's proving to be successful. At the beginning people don't understand why you would do that. Right? Why are you writing a reference letter for children's schools? Why are you making a deduction for other businesses? To connect to people? Why do you do that? 

  

[00:11:43] So you know what? You just have to give first, and then the ones, oh, my gosh, what you do? So you want to deliver that vision or service? And hopefully, God bless one day, there will be business. But again, I think it's proving we're very successful because I set our vision, I set our goal, this is what we want to achieve. And healthiest in the industry. Just look [at] what we have done. It's incredible.

Tyrone Shum:   

Tu steps back to share her own story, starting with growing up in southwest China in the 1960s.

Monika Tu:   

[00:12:27] It's called Guizhou Province. It's a very small province. In China it's like a third tier, it's like a third world country, right? Third tier of province.

  

[00:12:39] My mum's family, and my dad's family. So we were very wealthy before the revolution, but you know, obviously, everything's taken away, and we've come really poor. But we consider ourselves very rich, because our family [has] a very rich culture. 

  

[00:12:57] So we always love music, love literature and stuff like that, even [if] we didn't have anything. So at the age of 15, if you know a bit of China's history, that cultural revolution is officially finished, so we got the opportunity to go to university. 

  

[00:13:14] When I was 15, I passed the state exam. So I went to study a language, which was German, it's called German literature. So at the age of 19, I finished university, I became an interpreter. It wasn't, like, a really good job.

  

[00:13:32] Now you think back and say, 'Oh my God, that was a fancy job at the time'. It was 1982, before all you guys were born or whatever. I'm going to be 60 in August, I'm so proud. I have become, I don't know. My parents, I'm the only child in the family. So the best thing was your parents give it to me is the freedom. 

  

[00:14:03] I quit my job within the government and I moved to another province called Xinjiang in 1985. The Xinjiang just open to the war is the first special zone, economic zone, where they will come, they're worse than investment. 

  

[00:14:18] So I was [the] interpreter to bring a project together. And Xinjiang in 1985, at the time, [was] the biggest joint venture in Xinjiang. And I think the total amongst, like, $30 million US. Now you're thinking, 'Oh my God, that's it?' That's it. So now the company [is] public[ly] listed, it's very successful. So I did very well back in China.

  

[00:14:38] But there's one opportunity in 1988. So you know, Australia [was] open to [recruiting] Chinese students to come to Australia. So I helped [one of the schools] to recruit students back in China. I couldn't speak English but I could help, right?

  

[00:14:53] And they said, 'Oh, you should come!' I said, 'Me? Where?' They said, 'Australia', and I said, 'Where's that?' I went to Europe and Germany, I couldn't even speak English. They said, 'You know what? I'll give you a discount fee to Asian [people] and you can come study.' Everybody loves a bargain, right? Here we come. 

 

Monika Tu: 

[00:15:13] So [on the] 8th of March 1988, I came to Australia. I studied in language school in Melbourne. But I couldn't get a job. Because you couldn't speak English and it was just so hard. I tried to work in the restaurants, babysit, you just name it,. Every job I had, [after] two weeks I'd get sacked. I'm good at it. 

 

[00:15:42] Just imagine you have a really prestigious job in China. You come here with nothing. And then you have to start from zero. It's not about money. We have always survived, right? But it's about psychologically. How can you overcome from top to bottom with nothing?

  

[00:16:03] Now I think back and I really admire myself. My parents, the best thing they gave to me [is] the advice: Take the opportunity. If something is not going according to your plan, you always can come back with us. So that's the best thing they give it to me. So that's what I give to my daughter. 

  

[00:16:20] Okay, you take the opportunity in life, you try your best you can, and hopefully it's going to work. If it doesn't work, we're here for you. So that's the best thing they ever given to me. 

  

[00:16:29] They didn't give me money. So we didn't have money. Nothing, seriously nothing. So I worked all the world jobs. I still remember all the restaurants. I just came back from Melbourne yesterday. I still say, 'Oh my God, I used to work in that restaurant!' Before they sacked me I just resigned. It's a very, very humble background. 

  

[00:16:51] I [came] to Sydney in 1992 and the standard is you're working in a computer shop and you know, like, on the weekend again, I tell you, 'You know what? I need to make a living'. So I bought some stock and started sending a floppy disc. You guys didn't know, you're too young.

Coming up after the break, Tu dishes out some more of her valuable wisdom…

[00:18:23] You never know. You come to a new place, [a] new situation. But how can you make the best out of it? 

She delves into some of the opportunities that came her way amidst yet another move…

Monika Tu:   

[00:23:44] Again, I was very fortunate. That's what I love [about] this country, it gives you opportunities. 

She lets us in on a little secret that will spark nostalgia for those over a certain age.

Monika Tu:   

[00:33:25] You push it in and you press a button and [it] comes back. I don't know which button to press, but I'm the number one seller for my CDRs. 

And that’s next. I’m Tyrone Shum and you’re listening to Property Investory.

Tyrone Shum:    

Laser floppy discs and CDs were the peak of technology at the time, and Tu knew how to capitalise on a safe investment. Despite not knowing much about how Laser’s products worked, she wasn’t going to let that deter her from smashing sales quotas and launching her career to a new level.

Monika Tu:   

[00:17:43] I started in computer shops, right, I started working there and so that other weekend, I take some of the floppy discs as Lanza CDRs and to the market. The owner of that computer shop said, 'Monika, you're so good, right? Why don't you come and work with me?' I said, 'Okay!' And at one point I ended up marrying him. He was my boss, but we're still friends. 

 

[00:18:05] So [I married] him, and we grew that Laser business from the corner shop in Surry Hills, and plus Paddy's Market and all the markets to an international company. So Laser is still very, very strong. I'm still part of the company but I'm not involved at all. So that's how we grow.

 

[00:18:23] You never know. You come to a new place, [a] new situation. But how can you make the best out of it? I know nothing about IT as you can know, we're just struggling with a little bit like, 'Oh my god, Zoom, blah, blah, blah'. But I work with the best people around me who understand. 

  

[00:18:23] I'm very good [at] sales and marketing. I never knew I had the skill, but when the opportunity came to me, I really work[ed] hard for it. But I never stop. Even though I reached the peak of Laser and I never stopped thinking about what's next, right? How can I grow personally and professionally?

  

[00:18:59] So at the age of 45 in a company is in good hands is from a corner shop to a corporation. So now we have a branch in New Zealand, Hong Kong, China. It's a multimillion dollar company and it's in a professional hand. I said, 'Okay, time for me to retire'. That's how I retired from that business.

 

[00:19:19] Because I'm not corporate trained. So if I just keep staying in company maybe there was something growing, to be honest, right? You give me like a accounting you know like a particle SAP. I said, 'What the heck is that?' ASAP Oh my God. 

  

[00:19:22] So sometimes you just have to let go. Leave it to the professionals. My managing director [has been] with us for, like, 18 years now. And my personal assistant for 24 years now. Oh, by the way, my ex husband, my business partner now, we started this together. So I think it's a phenomenal journey for that company and they're still growing stronger and stronger and stronger without me. So I'm so happy.

Tyrone Shum:   

[00:20:02] So how many people does Laser currently employ as of today? Would you know, roughly?

Monika Tu:   

[00:20:06] I don't. I think it's probably over 40. Maybe more, because they employ somebody in China as well for product sourcing, to do the OEMs, we manufacture a lot of products for other brands. I'm sure we'll have, like, Harvey Norman and Big W's and all these major brand[s]. So they do really well. So I don't interfere because even though I'm part of the shareholder, I shouldn't be interfering, right? 

  

[00:20:34] But by saying that back to your listeners, and the one of the success we have to share with you is about a property. 

Monika Tu:  

[00:20:45] Now we have warehouses in Alexandria, also because we buy the property when we grow the company. I'm Chinese so if you have money, you buy properties. And if you have a business and we want to have the property as owner occupier, so we don't have to pay rent, my God my mind is still back in China. We don't want to pay rent, we just want to have our own. 

  

[00:21:09] So we're very good in terms of investment in warehousing. Because we have the warehouses, we use the warehouses, and of course, for example, the Alexandria warehouse is already rezoned as a residential. So obviously, you can see the value of that one has increased,.

 

[00:21:27] And also the one we have in Macquarie Park. So Macquarie Park, when we bought it, [it] was just a pure warehouse. Now it's probably in a rezoning plan. So you have to see that you'll have a railway station now. Macquarie Shopping Centre is one of the biggest shopping centres. 

  

[00:21:43] So I think that's a big chunk of our— in terms of wealth, it's a big chunk of ours, because we invest really, really well. And very conservatively, because we're using the place, but now we think, 'Oh my God, if we buy more, maybe it's gonna work'. So we're happy, we don't want to overspend, over commit. 

  

[00:22:05] It's my investment way to make me feel very comfortable. I don't want to over invest, I don't want to over expand, but one step at a time. Now, the investment product become the bigger portfolio than the business itself. Put it that way.

Tyrone Shum:    

Tu steps back to take us on a journey through her humble beginnings, jumping to her arrival in Australia as a 26 year old in 1988. In typical Tu fashion, she landed several jobs which kept her both on her feet and run off them.

Monika Tu:   

[00:23:18] In Melbourne, [in] the daytime, I was very fortunate to get a job to teach typing. Even [though] I'd just learnt. I just don't type, I can teach and I started English at the same time. So I worked as a babysitter for a dentist. I worked in a couple of restaurants, that's what I do, just some odd jobs to keep me going to pay the rent. 

  

[00:23:44] Again, I was very fortunate. That's what I love [about] this country, it gives you opportunities. It's not because of my language, it's because [of] my experience. 

 

[00:23:54] The RMIT in Melbourne, the International Trade, the faculty, it gave me a scholarship because I'd been working in tourism internationally because I have experience with a bit of a trade from my background in China. So they gave me a scholarship, so I started under international trade and [I was] sponsored by the Institute of Import and Export Australia. 

  

[00:24:22] I studied international trade for a year. And I couldn't find a job. Oh, yeah, well one thing say this is really good. So, I never knew I [could] sell. My family, we're like scholars. We're working as interpreters. I never would ever think about selling. So I got so stuck. 'Oh my god, what am I going to do', right? 

Monika Tu:  

[00:24:46] And then this company approached me and they said, 'Monika, you know what? So you love a [beautiful] look at yourself. You should start in selling the cosmetics'. I said, 'Ooh, okay!' So I was involved with a company called Mary Kay from America, it's direct selling. I just got involved with that company as I bought a few pieces myself and started talking to my friends. 

  

[00:25:08] Within a few weeks I was wearing a pink jacket because everybody [came] to my door. If you don't want to buy, you have to sell. I have to teach them how to sell it. Right? If you don't buy a lipstick or cosmetic [product] from me, and you have to be one of my members downline. I do so well, my God! Thank God. [I realised] 'Oh wow, actually I can sell!' And that's Mary Kay.

 

[00:25:30] And then we'll start with the company with a legal generousity insurance. So I bought one myself and you know, I still have it. They sell the company and they shouldn't mutual whatever and I start selling. 'I'm a good seller, I can sell!' That's how I started.

Tyrone Shum:   

[00:25:46] Wow.

Monika Tu:   

[00:25:49] Really, really interesting. I never knew I had the talent in it.

Tyrone Shum:   

After a handful of odd jobs, realising her sales talents, and growing her self-confidence, she moved to Sydney to combine her skills in a new market.

Monika Tu:   

[00:26:14] You wouldn't believe it. Like, I couldn't get a job. So I try— and this is a funny story! I said, 'Oh my god, I can sell'. Obviously, I'm quite good looking. And I'm working really hard. And nobody gives me a job! I tried to apply for... at the time I [came] to Sydney it was 1992. I could speak English a little bit, right? So a little bit worse or similar to how I speak now, right? 

  

[00:26:37] I tried to apply for a job with a council. They said no. I tried to get a job with a jewelry shop. They said no. And there's a woman from Taiwan. She has one of those duty free shops selling art books. I said, 'Can I work for you, selling art books at Paddy's Market?' She said, 'Oh, okay, maybe.' It was $46, I remember, for Saturday work. I said, 'You know what? I would take it. Seriously, I would take it'. 

Monika Tu:  

[00:27:05] Guess what? She said no to me. So I just couldn't get any job. But thankfully, one of my friends I knew back in Xinjiang, his name is Raymond Penn. I [will] thank him forever. I said, 'Raymond, can you please give me a job?' He said, 'What can you do?' Because he never knew I [could] sell. I said, 'Just anything really'. And he employed me for $160 a week. What a bloody ripoff! But anyway. 

 

[00:27:36] And so I can think about my rent now. I'm, what, 20 or 30, right? So $160, but I just had to work. So I worked for him during the week. And the weekend, I said, 'You know what? Can I borrow some of your floppy discs, and I can go to the market to sell [them]?' 

  

[00:27:56] He was kind enough to give me, you know, some properties he lent to me on consignment. So I [sold] and I paid because I don't have money to pay for the stock. So I worked for him for $160. But I still make a commission for everything I sell. I think I make about $300 or something like that. 

  

[00:28:15] And the weekend market really helped me. It's quick money, I don't have to pay for it. I just pay for the [expenses]. And so the market is doing so well. And Raymond's company has closed and I borrowed some of his stock. I said, 'I go to [the] market already. Why [am I] only selling the floppy discs? Maybe you can borrow something else'. 

  

[00:28:38] So I borrowed from a company called Aroma Computers. If any of your audience come from Surry Hills, you will know. 

  

[00:28:45] So I borrow[ed] some stocks up my god so he's been his home as a whole. 'Can I borrow some stuff from you?' And I borrow[ed] some copy coders, keyboards, mice and stuff like that, like a mousepad. So I took most [of the] stock to the market. Oh my god, but [the] market stall from one table to like six tables or something like that. So that will come up people that helped me. I'd become the queen of the market with my bum bag.

  

[00:29:24] So I miss that borrowing stock from everybody else and Fridays so I don't have to disturb their business. [On] Mondays I return[ed] everything I didn't sell and I paid them whatever I sold.

Tyrone Shum:   

[00:29:35] Wow. That's a great model.

Monika Tu:   

[00:29:37] I know! I became queen of the market. So this is a good story. 

 

[00:29:47] Raymond, he owns this Aroma Computer thing, right? And I didn't have a job [from] Monday to Friday. He said, 'Monika, you're such a good salesperson, why don't you come work for me during Monday to Friday?' I said, 'Yeah, no problem. So how much will you pay me?' He said, '$300'. 

 

[00:29:59] $300 was not bad in 1992. [He said] ,'But everything you sell I'll give you 10% of [what] you sell. You get 10% commission. I said, 'No problem!' Guess what? [In the] first month I made $4,000 in commission! I picked up on like just smash[ed] on a phone call. You know I know so many people, right, from the floppy disc thing. But who has got more to offer? You have the copy holders, you have, like, oh my God, hard drives and all this, the cables and stuff like that. So $4,000. After about maybe six months he said, 'You're such a good salesperson'. He was single, I was single, we should keep the money in the family. So we got married.

  

[00:30:44] That's how you make money, just get married. And we went from that computer shop called Aroma and they have another name called NASA Technology for wholesale, right? So we grow that corner shop to a multinational company which is Laser. Then we start buying the warehouse in Alexandria and that bought one in 1997 and I bought another one in 1998. So we'd become the distributor for Kodak, Verbatim, TDK, the number one distributor in the world.

Tyrone Shum:   

[00:31:24] How did you come up with the name Laser? Because obviously you had those two brands initially.

Monika Tu:   

[00:31:45] It holds a company called NASA Technologies. You're producing, like, a mouse keyboard. How can that be NASA technology, right? Okay, so this is really funny. There's a friend of mine and he has a brand called Laser. So his name was John D, he's an importer of a floppy discs. I bought so much from him. And he said, 'Monika, you know what? You can just have the brand'. He says, 'I don't want to do business anymore. So you can just have the brand'.

 

[00:32:18] So I bought his whole stock from Hong Kong and the brand is called Laser. Laser is quite an interesting name, it's something to do with the technology. But you know it's a common name people remember. You know what? Let me just reach the name of Laser. So all my floppy discs. Unfortunately [I] don't have any more left, otherwise it will be so fun to look at.

  

[00:32:39] So it's called Laser brand, but a lot of you knew about [the] Laser brand. And then remember that the floppy disc transferred to a recordable CDs? And that have a laser? So I've got my own brand. That's another story about Laser.

  

[00:32:55] So Laser recordable CDs [were] overtaking a lot of famous brands. I'd become the queen of recordable CDs. We sold so many, I'm the number one distributor for Kodak in the world. It was, 'Oh my God, how?' But that's another story. But because I always pay on time and because I work so hard, but just a joke for you, I never recorded one CD in my life. I don't know how to record it if I can sell, right?

Tyrone Shum:   

[00:33:23] That's all that matters! Get somebody else to do it.

Monika Tu:   

[00:33:25] You push it in and you press a button and [it] comes back. I don't know which button to press, but I'm the number one seller for my CDRs. Laser is everywhere you can see. A lot because you haven't ever used a CDR called Laser, I tell you, you're very good because it never have a parent copies.

Tyrone Shum:   

She acknowledges that she’s been on a very interesting journey and that she has been lucky, but there have been many other elements at play as well.

Monika Tu:   

[00:34:10] That's an interesting journey, right? But in saying that not everything is like, 'Oh my God!' You've just been very lucky. IT is because of CDRs. I just also see myself as lucky, so everybody's lucky, right? So why would very well have number one you know of course you have to have or is that I think your integrity is vices that all customer focus and you do the right thing. 

  

[00:34:33] You'd be fair to everybody but we work so hard, seven this week. Seriously, the Monika Tu, you look at me now right so you know, seven this week with a bum bag. That's my life for seven or eight years. But you know what, we'll come with nothing. So we grew up with nothing so because of a bit of little bit luck. 

  

[00:34:52] But luck comes, you know, like with the hard work. Is that right? Of course we're intelligent. We're smart. We have to work smart [at] the same time. So that I think that work ethic really [got] us to where we are today. That really lay[s] a foundation of how we can be successful. Anybody less than expected to have a young audience. There's no shortcut. There [are] no shortcuts. You have to work. It doesn't matter. You know, you speak English, no English, you're Asian, you know, Australian or any part of the world. You know hard work is probably the number one.

Tu’s story continues in the next episode of Property Investory. She shares a costly lesson she learnt the hard way…

 

[00:03:35] So think about that. 'Oh my God, damn, I shouldn't have sold that'. 

 

How she’s made it to where she is despite not knowing what negative gearing was not that long ago…

 

[00:05:52] In China, I'm surprised, I paid everything, that's stupid. What does it mean to have negative gearing?

She lets us in on her fascinating social life, which sometimes involves dining at five star restaurants, and sometimes slightly more humble establishments.

[00:09:46] My friend Dan has 72 investment properties, but his life is different. He invited me to McDonalds to have dinner.

 

And that’s next time on Property Investory.